


The Old Republic: The Edge Between Failure and Success

by hayabusa1138



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Semi-OCs - Freeform, The old Republic - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-07 12:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13434630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayabusa1138/pseuds/hayabusa1138
Summary: While the rest of the Eternal Alliance fights against the evils of Empress Vailyn, a plot from the rest of the Zakuul forces puts the entire Alliance at risk.





	1. Chapter 1

  
**Dramatis Personae:  
**  
Amana Wentlas: Smuggler, Captain of the  _Dawn_. (Human Female)  
Cipher Nine: Former Imperial Intelligence Agent (Chiss Male)  
Hondo Mereel: Mandalorian Bounty Hunter, Leader of the Rodian Resistance (Human Male)  
Jorren Vor-Lonn: Jedi Master, Commander of the Alliance (Human Male)  
M1-4X: Former Republic Military Droid (4th Degree Droid, Masculine Programming)  
Mako Mereel: Slicer, Mission control of Rodian Resistance (Human Female)  
Utan Rho: Former Republic Army Sergeant (Cathar Male)  
Xiann'me: Sith Lady, Former Emperor's Wrath. (Twi'lek Female)  
  
***  
  
 **Chapter One  
**  
"Amana Wentlas to my office. Repeat: Amana Wentlas to my office."  
  
The voice echoed through the building before dying in a loud squawk of interference. A young woman, just into her 30s, shook her head at the sound. In the three weeks since the former Emperor Arcann's attack on the Alliance's base, they  _still_ hadn't found the time or the equipment to fix the feedback in the intercom system.  
  
Amana stepped out of the cantina and into the open common area. The air was filled with humidity and the smell of oncoming rain. Past the still-unnamed mountain range in the distance, the conifer forest swayed under a greying sky. Under her light grey shirt, her fair skin prickled up in gooseflesh under the cool wind.  
  
"Great..." Amana grumbled at the thought of the leaks in her still damaged quarters. "Looks like I'm sleeping in my ship tonight."  
  
She walked towards the large cargo lift that led to the heart of their operations on Odessen; past sights that she still hadn't gotten used to seeing. Sith and Jedi mulled about together, Republic and Imperial troops gathered around a large table with the only fighting between them being drunken brawls.  _War made for strange bedfellows_ , she thought.  _S_ he passed a Mandalorian flirting heavily with a Cathar soldier who seemed to be reciprocating his attentions.  _Literally in some cases._  
  
The office of Hylo Visz was a small corner in the larger Underworld Operations room, upraised from the others and with an entire wall covered with computer monitors. Hylo was sitting in front of one of the monitors, green Mirialan hands working frantically at it.  
  
"You wanted to see me, Hylo?"  
  
Hylo looked up from her work, the green eyes above the geometric tattoos of her species showing their fatigue. "Captain Wentlas, the commander has a job for you."  
  
Amana's hazel eyes shined. “He hinted at something the other day.”  
  
Hylo rolled her eyes. “I really don’t need to know that...”  
  
Amana chuckled. “I didn’t mean like  _that_ ,” she said. “Something he said before he left.”  
  
“Well, either way, I selected you for it, not him,” Hylo said. “Though your name did come up.”  
  
"What do you have for me, then?" Amana's tone turned serious.  
  
Hylo pivoted in her chair to a holoimaging station and punched a few buttons. A planet appeared on the screen, jungle covering the majority of it.  
  
"Rodia?" Amana asked.  
  
"On target."  
  
The map zoomed in on a point in the world's western continent, revealing a large facility in the middle of a jungle clearing. Crates the size of rontos milled about while landspeeders were frozen in the movement of their hauls.  
  
"Our spies have discovered this facility in the jungles of Rodia." Hylo pointed to the shipping containers. "According to them, these crates are filled with a metal alloy that the Eternal Empire is calling 'Gundark'."  
  
A chuckle escaped from Amana's smirk. "Governments love their codenames, don't they? What's so special about this metal and why hasn't the Republic or Empire mined it in the past?"  
  
Hylo leaned over the holodisplay, staring intently at the image. "Looks like neither of them found any real use for it, but from what my sources have been able to piece together, if it's forged with the durasteel that they use for their Skytroopers, it could make them virtually impervious to blasters bolts."  
  
Amana whistled. "What about lightsabers?"  
  
Hylo shook her head. "Don't know." The Mirialan stood up. "According to Sana-Rae, it  _could_ prove more resistant to the blades, but she won't be able to give us a 'yes' or 'no' until she's studied it up close."  
  
Amana crossed her arms and leaned against a bank of computers. "So that's the job, eh? Get in the facility, grab a sample, and get out?"  
  
Hylo's eyes narrowed. "Part of it," she said. Her tone dropped to a near whisper. "The Commander's not going to leave anything to chance. You're going to go in, get that sample, find out where they're mining that stuff, and then you're going to blow it all sky-high."  
  
"I think I can do that."  
  
Hylo retreated away from the holoprojector and sat back down at her station. "I know you can, and you're not going to be doing it alone. The Commander has already selected a team for you and they've already been briefed."  
  
"Even better," Amana said. "Where are they?"  
  
"I sent them and the equipment to your ship just a few minutes before I called you in here."  
  
Images filled Amana's mind of her ship lifting off in the Ord Mantell sky, the traitorous Skavak behind the controls so many years ago. "You  _what_?!"  
  
She didn't even give Hylo the chance to respond before she stormed out of the room. Within minutes she had crossed the bridge connecting the cliff-side Alliance base to the plateau where the personal ships were stored. Tramp freighters were docked next to the  _Defender_ -class Jedi transports and the Sith's  _Fury_ -class interceptors. Amana's ship was packed in between two larger transports. It was mostly circular--as were most CEC-made ships--with a rectangular cockpit jutting out from the middle and a large cargo crate docked to the port airlock. Amana ground her teeth at the sight of the open boarding ramp.  
  
The team that Hylo had assembled were standing about in the freighter's large common area. One of the blue-skinned and red-eyed aliens that the Empire had frequently brought in during the last war. He was wearing the dark grey plastoid armor of Imperial Special Forces across his torso. A long barreled blaster rifle hanged off of his shoulder. A human Republic army trooper stood at attention next to the holoprojector in the center of the room. Next to him was a green-skinned Twi'lek in bulky leather armor. Her eyes burned a fiery orange behind sunken eye sockets. A pair of lightsabers hanged from her belt.  
  
"Oh great," Amana said. "They sent me a Sith..."  
  
The Sith glared at her. "I am Lord Xiann'me, formerly the Emperor's Wrath. The commander may have placed you in charge of this mission, but I demand the respect that I have earned."  
  
"As long as you understand that I'm in charge and don't try anything stupid," Amana said. "You'll get your respect." She ignored the Twi'lek's smirk as she moved on to the Imperial sniper. "And you are?"  
  
The Chiss politely smiled at her and bowed his head. "I'm afraid that my name is a little difficult for humans to pronounce. You may call me by my former designation: Cipher Nine, formerly of Imperial Intelligence."  
  
"I'm pretty good with alien names, so..."  
  
"Nlurd'oloshu'rumorc."  
  
Amana stared blankly at the alien before finally smiling. "Cipher it is, then."  
  
Cipher Nine smirked. "It's better that way, Captain."  
  
She walked over to the Republic trooper. "And what's your story, Sergeant?"  
  
The soldier removed his helmet, revealing the gray-furred felinoid face of a Cathar. "Utan Rho, captain. Formerly platoon sergeant in the 2nd Republic Infantry."  
  
The hint of a suspicion formed itself in Amana's mind. "You didn't happen to bring your squad with you, did you?"  
  
Utan chuckled. "No, ma'am, just me."  
  
Amana smiled. "Thank the Force for small miracles, then." She turned to the others. "Anyone else?"  
  
"There's a droid powering up in your cargo hold. M1-4X, a military support droid, but that’s it."  
  
Amana arched a brow but shook the thought out of her head. "I don't know who let you in my ship without me, but let's just say that I'm  _very_  particular about her. She's already been stolen from me once, and I don't plan on letting it happen again."  
  
"I did," Xiann'me said with an annoying smirk upon her face. "With the storm coming, I didn't want our little excuse for a war droid to rust."  
  
Amana ignored the quip. "Hylo said you've already been briefed. That right?"  
  
"Eternal Imperial shipping facility on Rodia with a new metal," Cipher Nine said. "Infiltrate the base and find out their mines. We destroy both facilities."  
  
"Resistance unknown," Sergeant Rho added.  
  
She looked over the motley crew that had been assigned to her and smirked. “Well,” she said, “it looks like you all know just about as much as I do...”


	2. Chapter Two

The hum of the Hyperspace engines were the first thing that Amana heard as her eyes opened. Her cabin was dark save for a faint glow coming from the chronometer on her desk. The glowing green numerals cast long shadows throughout the room.

 

She swung herself out of bed and rubbed at her eyes, grumbling at the early hour as she donned a pair of socks. She wore a thick pair of soft, red sleep pants and a sleep shirt, her sleep-mussed hair hanging limply down to her shoulders.

 

“Kriffing Imperials...” she whispered. In her year working with the Alliance, she had fought with and even formed friendships with several of her Imperial and even Sith allies, but somehow the thought of them being on her ship still made her blood run cold.

 

The door to her cabin opened quickly as she stepped out of it and into the main concourse and walked the short distance down to the ship’s kitchen. The blue-skinned Imperial was already there, his uniform replaced with what she could only assume was casual clothing for his people. He was sitting at the short table, a cup of caf in his hand.

 

“I’m sorry, captain, I did not mean to startle you.”

 

“Couldn’t sleep either, could you?”

 

Cipher Nine shook his head. “One of the things I learned at the Imperial academy was how to go long periods without sleep.”

 

Amana gave out a quick chuckle. “Nice trick,” she said.

 

He gestured to a datapad in front of him, ignoring her amusement. “I was studying what we know so far about the facility on Rodia. And on Rodia itself.”

 

“I know a little more than the basics,” Amana said. “Stopped there a couple of times, a long time ago.”

 

A cobalt blue eyebrow shot up in amusement, causing a knot to form in Amana’s stomach. She’d revealed to much, she thought for a second. She had never been to the planet as Amana Wentlas, but had as Larena. She pushed the name out of her head along with the memories—kind and cruel—that it brought back.

 

She stared into the pupil and irisless red eyes of the Chiss, wondering just how much he knew and what he’d do with the information.

 

“Yes, well, the Imperials kept detailed records during their governing of the world after the Treaty of Coruscant. I’ll be covering this in the briefing in the morning.”

 

“Anything on where we’ll be fighting?”

 

Cipher pressed a button on his device, causing a flat map of the area to be projected in front of them. “Some,” he said. He zoomed out from the area where the base was, the grainy spysat images superimposed over the old map of the area. “A report by an Imperial security captain found the geography area suitable for smugglers, but nothing was done. Most of their time and energy was wasted on attempting to civilize the Rodian clans into something a bit less barbaric.”

 

Amana scoffed. “No offense,” she said, “but you mean something a little more Imperial...”

 

Cipher smirked slightly. “I will fully admit that the Empire has done some—shall we say— _unsavory_ things in an attempt to bring order to the galaxy.” He made a slight motion towards the crew bunks where the rest of the team was sleeping. “A lot of it at the Sith’s bidding, to be fair, but don’t tell the Emperor’s Wrath back there that I said it.”

 

Cipher Nine paused in thought for a second before his crimson eyes shined. “Of course, your Republic isn’t much better.” He pointed towards his datapad. “We were both on Belsavis around the same time… Tell me, how did you feel when you saw that the Republic had set up a prison planet so secret and so strict that the children of the prisoners were kept on world?”

 

Amana’s face turned as hard as durasteel. “I can’t say I liked it, but it’s still better than what Darth Angral did to Uphrates!”

 

“Something the commander must have told you at one point, I guess,” Cipher said. “A terrible tragedy, to be honest, but it was one Sith’s madness’s doing, not the Empire.”

 

She scoffed loud enough that she feared that she would awaken the entire ship. “One and the kriffing same...”

 

Cipher barely grinned“As I recall, he did that with the Republic’s own technology.”

 

M1-4X walked into the room upon his three legs, the bulky battle droid’s yellow photoreceptors were glowing like the geothermal vents of Hoth. “You will not disparage the Republic that way! Project Planet Prison was designed to besiege a planet, not destroy it. In the report of the incident to General Suthra, our commander—then just a recently promoted Jedi Knight—discovered that it was an undercover Sith in the development team that turned it into a superweapon.”

 

Amana’s lips spread into grin and she leaned back in her chair. “Pure pazaak...”

 

Cipher stood up quickly and placed his caf mug onto the nearby counter. “You can be as smug about as you wish, but neither side in our war were completely blameless for atrocities.”

 

She watched as he briskly walked out of the kitchen; a spook’s way of huffing out, she thought. She’d seen Theron and Lana do the exact same thing at times during war councils and it never stopped being amusing.

 

“I could have handled that better, couldn’t I, Forex?”

 

“Affirmative,” the droid said. “It is in my experience that alliances are held together by what you organics call ‘spit and wishes’ and this one is no different.”

 

“You’ve been hanging out with Rennow too much...”

 

Forex’s photoreceptors blinked rapidly as he emitted a hollow sounding laugh from his vocabulator. “Affirmative, Captain Wentlas, the Devaronian is quite a ‘character’ as Hylo calls him.”

 

Amana took a sip from her own cup of caf. “Any suggestions on how to keep this group from falling apart, Forex? I’ve lead a ragtag group before and been part of a couple, but that pales to this...”

 

“Negative, captain,” the droid chirped. With the sound of his metal legs clanking on the durasteel floor, he walked out of the room.

 

“Well, thanks for that, then...” Amana whispered into her caf.

 

Forex’s voice wafted in from the hallway. “You’re quite welcome, captain!”

 

 

Lady Xiann’me wasn’t used to taking orders. She sat in the pirate’s common room on a couch that smelled of decades old tabacc smoke and spilled spirits, wearing her dark formal robes that would be placed into the incinerator the second that she returned to Odessen.

 

Despite her discomfort, the Twi’lek’s full attention was on the holoprojector at the center of the room. A map of Rodia was projected above it, flickering slightly every few seconds. The captain and Dolosh were leading the briefing, the annoying yet deadly Republic droid nearby as some sort of liason.

 

“If resistance on the planet is unknown, we must scout for ourselves.” She glared at the cat-man sitting next to her. “I’m stating that for the benefit of our grunt here.”

 

The fur on the back of Utan’s neck bristled and Xiann’me relished in the rapturous feeling of anger radiating off of him.

 

“You’ll see how ‘stupid’ I am once the blaster bolts begin flying, _my lady_.” The last words a barely audible hiss.

 

“Perhaps,” Xiann’me added. “That said, the ratio here is a little off, wouldn’t you say?” She gestured around the area. “Three members of the Republic military—well, three only assuming that a privateering contract is legal (and it isn’t...)—to two Imperials.”

 

Amana rolled her eyes in frustration. “I didn’t make the team, Hylo did.”

 

“We’re still five hours out from Rodia,” Xiann’me said, “I have a suggestion for us.”

 

Amana shrugged. “Be my guest.”

 

“The last word I had from my sources in the Empire is that the 25th Imperial Special Forces Squad are currently on Malastare. It’s right on our way to Rodia.”

 

Utan stood quickly, his whiskers pressed firmly against his cheeks. “The Skulls?” He turned to Amana like a whisperkit would to its owner when hungry. “You can’t seriously consider bringing them in?” He turned to Xiann’me and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You want to talk about war crimes?! Tell that to 4,500...”

 

“Enough!” Amana shouted over him loud enough to make Xiann’me’s ear cones hurt. Her voice softened as she put on a facade of caring. “If you felt something was wrong with the team, you should have brought it up before we left, not now.”

 

She zoomed out the holographic map to a galactic scale. “Besides, Malastare’s technically occupied territory, it’ll be too risky for our mission to land there even if we were picking up the commandos. We’re going to have to make do with what we have.”

 

Xiann’me crossed her arms over her chest, her fiery orange eyes staring daggers at her nominal superior. “Then it’ll have to do,” she said. She gave an exaggerated sigh and stood up, storming her way back to her shared quarters.


	3. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE**

 

Rodia was a large, green sphere through the _Dawn_ ’s cockpit viewscreen. Two of the jungle planet’s four moons were visible, reflecting Tyrius’s light into the void.

 

Amana sat at her central command station, gloved hands clutching at the control yoke. Cipher was at the sensor console, the Chiss’s unnerving red eyes seemingly peering at the information in front of him. She didn’t need a computer screen to tell her what she saw. In front of the planet were the long and thin battlecruisers of the Eternal Fleet.

 

“By the Force, I hate those things...” she whispered. Her eyes turned to the laser cannons at the tips of the two crossed beams that made up the fore of the ships. “Xiann’me, is that transponder that Hylo gave us up and running?” She hadn’t given the Mirilian a chance to tell her about the piece of tech that was now plugged into the sensor suite.

 

The Sith’s voice was tired. “For the fifth time, captain, _yes_...”

 

“Unidentified freighter,” an unfeeling and robotic voice squelched. “Please submit your identification and state your business on Rodia.”

 

Amana subtly gestured towards Xiann’me. “This is the _Resolute Raivor_ out of Brentaal IV. We’re carrying a shipment of machinery parts to Cyvent Incorporated in Equator City.”

 

Seconds passed by in silence, Amana’s lungs burning as she held her breath. She spared a quick glance at the others in the cockpit, all calm and resolute save for the Sith. Xiann’me’s green fingers drummed on her console without sound. Her hazel eyes met Utan’s red as the Cathar sat at the weapon’s station, the unspoken question of if he should open fire to cover their escape hanging in the void between them.

 

“ _Resolute Ravior_ , you are cleared for landing at Wing 3, Bay 21 of Eastern Spaceport. Any deviation from this course will be considered an aggressive act and be treated accordingly.”

 

“Thank you, Control,” Amana said. With the flip of a switch, she killed the transmission and turned towards her crew. “Holy shavit,” she whispered.

 

Cipher Nine stood up from his station. “That was the standard Imperial landing process on this planet.”

 

“Are you sure?” Amana said. “Seems pretty standard for any totalitarian government.”

 

Cipher shook his head. “It’s the precise wording for any civilian ship entering Imperial territory,” he said. “The exact same script.”

 

Amana shrugged. “If you say so.” She turned around and input the course into the autopilot.

 

“I do,” Cipher said. The slightest hint of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Hopefully it isn’t the only leftover remaining from the Imperial occupation.”

 

A laugh escaped Amana’s throat as she grinned. “Security systems,” she said.

 

“Precisely.”

 

“How much havoc can we wreak?”

 

Cipher frowned. “A lot, but not if we’re going to be subtle about it.”

 

“What about schematics, personnel and materiel at our target?” Utan Rho said.

 

“We can easily do that,” Cipher said. “And it might not raise too many red flags.”

 

“We should see if we can get a hotel room,” Utan suggested. “A freighter crew checking in for the night won’t be as suspicious as us staying in here.”

 

Xiann’me nodded her head. “Will it be possible to slice into their systems from the hotel, or will you need to remain in the ship?”

 

Cipher motioned back towards the rear of the ship. “I included several slicing tools in my kit,” he said.

 

Amana scoffed slightly at the Chiss’s preparedness. It seemed that everyone knew about the mission before she did, she thought. And she was supposed to be the one in charge…

 

***

 

The Eastern Spaceport of Equator City was bustling despite occupation. Rodians in various bright garbs walked down the streets and alleyways, muted in their movements and conversations. Strange yet appetizing smells wafted out of eateries as street vendors hawked their wares next to the road.

 

“Anyone else feel like they’re watching a play?” Amana whispered.

 

“Reminds me of how Rodia was in the early days of our occupation,” Cipher said. “Before they adjusted.”

 

Utan Rho coughed slightly at the mention. Amana turned to him and saw the Cathar’s furred neck standing on end. “Unnormal normalcy… Common.”

 

Amana nodded in agreement. The citizens of Ord Mantell near Fort Garrick all had the same fear in their eyes as the Republic and separatists had fought over their world. She licked her dry lips and clenched at her palms to prevent herself from lashing out.

 

A sudden shouting erupted from the west; a screaming in the Rodian language, pleading for anyone to help. A lightly-garbed Rodian stumbled through the unmoving crowd, emerald blood dripping down from multiple cuts along his snout. Rodians in white armor chased after him, blaster rifles in their hands. A single droid followed them, its white plating and skull-like face identifying it as a Skytrooper.

 

“Collaborators,” Xiann’me whispered to the rest of them.

 

Amana’s hand instinctively went to the long barreled pistol on her hip. A sharp pain in her head stopped her before she could even reach the holster. The word _DON’T_ burned itself into her mind, as sharp as a vibroknife. An image followed, of the Twi’lek Sith crushing at her throat until she fell to the ground.

 

She cleared her throat and moved her fingers away from her weapon. “They’re only in leadership...” she whispered.

 

“That we know of...” Cipher said.

 

The enforcers slammed the terrified Rodian against the wall, blaster held underneath his snout.

 

[We ask for your ID and you run?] The soldier shoved his captive down and gave him a hard kick to the midsection.

 

[He’s not so fast now!] a second guard joked as his captive struggled to regain his footing.

 

“We can’t just...” Amana murmured as the beating continued. She looked around at the others. Utan had lowered his head to avoid looking while Cipher and Xiann’me looked on with an uninterested glare.

 

“We have to,” Cipher said.

 

[You with the Underground?] the lead Rodian said. He pulled back his fist and let it fly into the side of his prisoner’s face. [Where are your friends now?]

 

One of the Rodians in the group pointed at them. Amana’s heart froze as the bile rose up in her throat. He gave a loud laugh. [Is it them? They your friends?]

 

The skytrooper walked towards them, blaster rifle held up close to the droid’s midsection. The other Rodian’s followed as the first continued to toy with his prisoner. Amana took a minuscule breath and adopted a passive posture. So many beings over the years had fallen for it, she thought.

 

{Can I help you?} she said in Huttese.

 

{Submit your identification for inspection,} the droid replied. The other Rodian enforcers flanked him, their own blasters out and at the ready.

 

Amana put on her best fake smile. {Sorry for the inconvenience, sir.} She made the slightest gesture towards her pocket and the blaster located on the hip. {It’s licensed,} she said.

 

She moved her hand slowly down and the skytrooper’s blaster immediately raised. Her hands jerked up.

 

The droid nodded to one of his subordinates. [Gorten, take the lady’s ident.] He looked to the others before turning his attention back to Amana. [Shoot them all if they make any sudden moves.]

 

Amana froze as one of the Rodians approached her. The sickly smell of the alien’s natural odor invading her nose. [No sudden moves…] he said.

 

As he bent down to pick at her pocket an opening presented itself. His neck was open to a quick strike. It would be hopeless, Amana thought. If she moved at all the others would open fire, killing her and the others within a microsecond.

 

[Here it is, boss,] the Rodian said.

 

The skytrooper opened the folded leather and removed the identichip. {Serra Therran, then. From Denon?}

 

A trick, Amana thought. {Brentaal IV, actually.}

 

The droid stared at her and Amana hoped that her Sabacc face could hold up to his sensor array. {You and your crew were watching us _discipline_ that Rodian. Let that be a lesson to you from the Republic… Tell your leaders that this is what happens to those who resist…}

 

With a swift turn the droid leveled his blaster at the crying Rodian, still huddled up on the ground. The sound of his blaster firing echoed through the quiet market and muffled out the sound of blaster bolt hitting flesh. The captured Rodian slumped to the ground, forever stilled.

 

{Your freight visa expires in three days,} the skytrooper said. He shoved the chip into her hand. {Make sure you’re off planet by then…}

 

With the flick of an arm, the droid and his Rodian lackeys moved out, leaving the corpse behind. The market activity continued, the citizens simply moving out of the way of the body.

 

“Holy shavit...” Amana said. She exhaled a long breath and looked around.

 

“That could have gone better,” Xiann’me said. Her fiery eyes burned into Amana’s mind. “You nearly had us all killed...”

 

Amana glared back at the Sith. “I may be scum, but at least I have a soul...” She glared at Cipher before turning her attention back to Xiann’me. “I couldn’t bear to just let that happen.”

 

Utan cleared his throat loudly. “Can we continue this elsewhere? We’re drawing a crowd...”

 

Amana looked around to see that the Rodians that had been uninterested in the abuse in front of them were no stealing glances at them. “Good idea. We’ll get to the hotel and then contact Forex on the ship.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

 

Compared to some of the places that Amana Wentlas had stayed in throughout her life, the mid-price range rooms of the Hotel Serich were opulent. The lumpy mattress of the bed were covered with clean lime-green sheets and the desk up against the tabacc-stained walls didn’t have to be pushed against the door for added security.

 

There were two doors in the room; one lead out to the hall outside while the other connected to the other room that they had rented. It had been a simple enough alibi: a freighter crew on world for a few days wanting something more comfortable than their cots. The mattresses from the beds in the other room had been brought into the first one, leaving the second room to be their command center.

 

Cipher was standing in the middle of the room, a rectangular device held in his hand. He moved it from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, the device making steady beeps along the way. The beeping grew louder as it reached the holocomm unit on the desk between the two beds.

 

“Comm’s bugged,” he said. He walked over to the heavy equipment bag sitting on the other bed and pulled another device out. It looked like little more than a punchpad found on doors. “More than likely just to monitor incoming and outgoing calls. Standard stuff,” he said. Cipher sat the device next to the comm and punched in a code.

 

“Scrambled it. Nothing to it.”

 

Xiann’me stood up from her chair in the corner. “So both rooms are clean?” She looked around at the mattresses on the floor and the dark stains on the carpet next to them. “At least in your meaning of it...”

 

“No tracking devices, actual surveillance equipment meant to record or transmit audio. Just the bug on the comm that I’ve taken care of.”

 

Amana nodded, grateful. “Think it’s safe to contact Forex on the ship now?”

 

“Not yet,” he said. “I’ve taken care of our line in here, but I’d still like to set up a more secure communications system in the other room.”

 

Amana frowned and looked at the holocomm on the desk. “You said you scrambled it. That should be enough, right?”

 

Cipher smiled. “Theoretically, yes, but when we have access to what we have, I’d prefer not to leave anything to chance.”

 

She smiled. “Sounds good, then. Let me know when it’s ready to transmit.”

 

A quick nod was all she got in reply from Cipher. She sat back down at the foot of the free bed. She looked around. Utan was on one of the beds on the floor, a cover on his civilian clothes and his back against the wall, asleep.

 

“Feeling useless, Captain?”

 

Amana turned around to see Xiann’me smirking at her from a corner. The Twi’lek crossed her arms across her chest.

 

“A smuggler’s life is simpler than a spy’s,” she said. “I didn’t have to worry about anything other than scramblers and false transponders.”

 

Xiann’me chuckled. “Perhaps that’s why so many are caught and killed compared to a spy,” she said.

 

“No,” Cipher Nine said. The Chiss was carrying a load of equipment in his arms. “It’s because we have the funds to throw into everything, not just a fast ship.” He disappeared into the other room.

 

“Point taken,” the Sith replied. She arched a tattooed brow towards Amana. “So, tell me, you were a nobody before the war and then you suddenly rise to fame as a Republic privateer. Why them and not the Empire?”

 

She faked a cocky grin. “They paid first and better,” she said.

 

Xiann’me chortled and turned back to her silent meditation.

 

It was another fifteen minutes before Cipher called them all into the makeshift command center. The entertainment center on a stand on the back wall was stashed into the closet and replaced by a medium-sized holoemitter. Holo-databoards were up against the bare walls and most of the chairs of the two rooms were arranged facing the projector like in a briefing room.

 

Forex was broadcast in miniature on one of the chairs and Amana suppressed a laugh. The bulky droid was the size of a pitten, looking very much like a child’s toy version of himself.

 

“Did you do that on purpose?” Amana said.

 

Cipher remained silent.

 

“Captain, I must admit that it was my idea,” Forex said. “Even though, for the best propaganda piece, I should be the size of this entire room, this is not that and I thought it best to reduce my size on your end.”

 

Amana headed to the front of the room. The other four members of her team sitting as dignified as they could in their hotel chairs. She pulled up the map of the base upon the holoprojector. “This is our current objective,” she said. “Before I begin, I have an alternate proposal.”

 

The others looked on in curiosity.

 

“When we ran into the patrol this morning, they mentioned something about a resistance.”

 

Cipher raised a hand. “With respect, Captain, we’re here to take out the base, not liberate the planet.”

 

Amana paced in front of the group. “Thought did cross my mind, briefly,” she said. “We need an army for that, though, and we don’t have one available. Except for them.”

 

She watched as a bemused smirk crossed Xiann’me’s face.

 

“The resistance and ourselves have a similar goal: obstruct the Eternal Empire’s operations on this planet.”

 

The smirk on her Twi’lek companion had changed to feral grin at her suggestion. “Help the rebels and they help us...”

 

Cipher nodded in agreement. “I’ve done work like this before and it should work.” He stood up and headed to a desk with a large computer upon it. “If they have kept the majority of the Imperial computer network like I believe, than I can look for any files that they keep about the resistance: leaders, attacks, crackdowns. Even a report on beings like that ‘unfortunate’ Rodian we saw this morning could prove useful.”

 

“All right,” Amana said. She turned to Xiann’me. “I don’t know how you Sith do it, but can you search the Force for anything that might come in handy? Feelings, premonitions?”

 

“I never focused much on that side of the Force,” Xiann’me answered. “I’m more concerned with bending it to my will. Yet, I will attempt this.” She stood from her chair and exited the room with a twirl of her cape.

 

Amana turned to Utan. “Sergeant, after Cipher finishes, I want you, him, and Forex to compare our needed inventory with what we have.”

 

The Cathar stood up and headed towards the window, looking out at the city below. “Will do, Captain.”

 

“Now, what’s everyone want for lunch?”

 

It was three hours later before Cipher was finished slicing into the system. The Chiss took a bite from his cold sandwich and turned around. “I’ve found something,” he said.

 

Amana stretched her legs as she walked towards the desk.

 

“They haven’t changed the Imperial network at _all_ ,” Cipher said. “They’ve deleted and added a bunch of user authorizations, but one of my cover identities is still in the system.”

 

“Lucky,” Utan said.

 

Cipher shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “Imperial Intelligence creates numerous cover identities for its agents, unless they did a complete format, most of the senior agents would have at least one identity to rely on. Even if it’s something as simple as a custodian.”

 

Utan walked up behind them. “Is that what you are, then?” The Cathar spread his maw wide in a feline grin. “A janitor?”

 

Cipher’s mouth curled upwards. “Mid-level office worker. It’s enough to get in and that’s half of the fight right there.”

 

With a few quick clicks on the miniature keyboard in front of him, the database in front of them turning into a complete schematic of the base and the large facilities outside. “I’m saving a copy for us here at the room and I’m routing a copy to Forex back on the ship for study.”

 

Amana looked at the map. “It almost looks like a standard shipping facility,” she said. She pointed towards a large addition on the north side of the complex. “Except for this. Refinery?”

 

“Likely,” Cipher said. “The large hovertrucks outside probably ship it to the military spaceport. Then offworld to Zakuul or the like.”

 

“Too bad they didn’t have the factory here so we can shut down the entire operation,” Utan said.

 

“I can’t tell whether this is brilliant or idiotic,” Cipher stated. “You have the production along several different lines so individual workers at each facility has no idea about what goes on later in the line, but that requires so many workers...”

 

“What about droids?” Amana said. “The whole damn Eternal Empire is full of ‘em.”

 

“Well, there are no living quarters on site,” Cipher said. He pointed towards an outlying building next to the hovertrucks. “Except for this, but there’s no security measures at all like you’d suspect for slave labor or even conscripted civilians. I’d say these were barracks.”

 

“Those Rodian flunkies or actual skytroopers?” Utan asked.

 

Cipher shook his head. “I don’t know, their interiors aren’t included in what I’ve found so far.”

 

The computer beeped softly. Amana’s eyes went wide.

 

“That something we should be worried about?” she said.

 

Cipher closed the map of the facility and pulled up a document onto the screen.

 

“No,” the agent said. “In fact, this was what you wanted: information on the resistance against Eternal Imperial rule on the planet.”

 

Faces of numerous Rodians flew past the screen, grayed out faces of what were likely members already killed passing by.

 

“Hundreds of them,” Amana muttered.

 

“That’s just who they know about,” Cipher said. “Estimate maybe a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio for those they don’t know about and subtract half a ratio...”

 

“For false leads,” Utan said.

 

“Correct,” Cipher said. “We’re looking at a sizable number.” He typed away at the keyboard in front of him. “Oh, this is interesting...”

 

Amana leaned in closer, trying to read the words over the Chiss’s shoulder. “What is it?”

 

“An internal memo. They’ve found where a member of the resistance lives and are going to strike in...” Cipher turned and looked at the chronometer off to the side. “Strike in about five hours.”

 

Amana drew in a deep breath. “We’re going to make sure that they won’t...” She slapped the back of the chair in excitement, causing Cipher to glare at her.

 

“They’re going to strike his house, it appears,” he continued. A few taps on the keyboard brought up a map that bisected the screen. “I’ll have a good nest on one of these buildings here. You, Xiann’me, Utan, and Forex if we need him can be milling about the area.”

 

Amana frowned. “I don’t know about Forex,” she said. “The droid’s a good fighter, but he sticks out like a sore thumb.”

 

Cipher and Utan nodded. “We should probably not bring him for this, then.” Cipher said.

 

“He’s going to be really disappointed,” Utan added.

 

“He’ll get his fill of combat soon,” Amana said.

**Author's Note:**

> * Amana, Cipher, and Xiann'me are three of my playable characters in the Old Republic game, as is Jorren Vor-Lonn. Each of them are assumed to have gone through their class storyline, which isn't all that important for this fic beyond vague references.  
> * Them being PCs that went through a plotted, Legends canon storyline, is why I call them "semi-OCs".  
> * M1-4X is from the Republic Trooper's storyline and was a companion in it.   
> * Arcann's attack on Odessen serves as one of the climaxes of the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion pack. As the fic shows, the base is still not completely repaired.  
> * Hylo Visz was first mentioned in the Timeline series of videos that promoted the game. She joined the Alliance in the KotFE expansion. She serves as the Alliance's chief underworld officer.  
> * Amana being in a relationship with Jorren, the Alliance's commander, was first mentioned in my story: What Love Is, which takes place shortly before this.  
> * Having the codename for the project be "Gundark" is a bit of an in-joke, as Amana's great-great-times whatever granddaughter lead a team named "Gundark Squad".  
> * Skavak was the villain of the first arc of the Smuggler's storyline. In the beginning, he steals your ship and forces you to chase him down.


End file.
